Canastota High School teacher Patricia Ragan nominated for Bammy Award

CANASTOTA >> High School Teacher Patricia Ragan may not be making platinum records, but she's been nominated for education's version of the Grammys.

Ragan has been nominated for a Bammy, the education equivalent of the Grammy's, by a partner from Franklin Community High School in Indianapolis, fellow Career and Technical Educator Don Wettrick.

"I nominated Patricia because she is bringing people with success in business to students who want to succeed in business," Wettrick said. Wettrick runs a program based on Google's innovation program, and said the two are similar in the sense that they want to encourage entrepreneurial ideals in students through introducing them to people who have succeeded in business.

Ragan has been active in the growing trend that encourages innovation and creativity nationwide, participating in Microsoft's Partners in Learning and as a key speaker at various national education conferences.

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Wettrick said more teachers should focus on this form of instruction by giving kids the tools to succeed.

"It's not about memorization," Wettrick said. "For too long, we have tried to get students to come to predetermined answers. In today's world, they need to be innovative. We are not just educating, we are connecting them to those CEOs and leaders that have succeeded so they can learn from them."

Ragan has created many innovative programs at Canastota, including the Canastota Apprentice, which connects students to CEOs and organizations in order to raise funds for charities and establish a sense of purpose in her students. The program enforces good public relations skills, marketing skills, research skills and work ethic.